Nas

On June 15, 1994, Nas’ ex-fiancée Carmen Bryan gave birth to their daughter, Destiny. Nas has also dated singer Mary Blige.

After a two-year relationship, he married R&B singer Kelis in 2005. Their son Knight was born on July 21, 2009. The couple divorced on May 21, 2010.

Nas is the first rapper to have a personal verified account on Rap Genius, where he talks about his lyrics, and comments on lyrics of other rappers.

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was born on September 14, 1973, in Brooklyn to Olu Dara, a jazz musician, and Fannie Ann Jones, a Postal Service worker. His brother, Jabari Fret, is a member of the hip-hop group Bravehearts.

When Nas was a child, his family relocated to the Queensbridge Houses in the Long Island City. He became interested in hip-hop by listening to records at his neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham’s place. In 1985, he dropped out of school after the eighth grade following his parents’ divorce.

Nas, who has African roots, learnt about African culture through Five Percent Nation and Nuwaubian Nation. In his early years, he developed an interest in creating music and played the trumpet and tried his hands at writing rhymes as well.

In 1991, Nas began his career as a featured artist on Main Source's ‘Live at the Barbeque’. He released his debut album ‘Illmatic’ in 1994, which received universal acclaim from the hip-hop community as well as from critics. It was ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.

Nas' second album ‘It Was Written,’ launched in 1996, made him internationally famous. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and was accredited double platinum in two months.

In 1996, Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, producer Dr. Dre, and production team Trackmasters formed ‘The Firm’ a hip-hop supergroup. The group’s debut album, ‘The Album,’ released in 1997, was a disappointment, and generated negative criticism. The group was eventually disbanded in 1998.

His album ‘Stillmatic’ was released on December 18, 2001; it included socially conscious themes. His lyrics touched topics like ghetto life, US policies, and his feud with rapper Jay-Z. The album was a hit.

‘The Lost Tapes,’ a compilation of previously unreleased records, was released on September 23, 2002. The album included tracks like ‘I Am...’ and ‘Stillmatic’. Released with less promotion, it started off at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, and sold 70,000 copies in the first week. However, it received widespread acclaims from critics.

Nas signed an agreement with sports goods company Fila in 2008, serving as one of its spokespersons. In April 2013, he invested in Mass Appeal Magazine, and served as its associate publisher. In June, he announced that he would open his own sneaker store.

He has struck a business partnership deal with Rock The Bells music festival, and also with the online retail company 12Society.com.

In September 2013, he invested in a technology startup company. The next year, he invested in viral video startup ViralGains. Nas is a business partner in Hennessy, and works with their ‘Wild Rabbit’ campaign.

In May 2014, he signed a partnership deal with the job placement startup Koru, and funded a scholarship for Koru's training program. He is also a co-owner of a Cloud-based service LANDR.

In June 2015, he joined food restaurant Sweet Chick as a partner, and plans to expand the restaurant brand nationally. He also owns HSTRY, his own clothing line.